Mechanism for reproducing recorded sounds in toys



` Aug. 27, 1940. P. sTRAUss y 2,212,623

MECHANISM FOR REPRODUCING RECORDED SOUNDS IN TOYS llorney Aug. 27, 1940. v P. sTRAUss I 2,212,623

MECHANISM FR REPRODUCING RECORDED SOUNDS IN TOYS Filed April 5, 1940 2 sheets-'sheet 2 A llme y Patented Aug. 27, 194() ivmoHANIsM Fon REPRODUCING RECORD- un soUNDs in Tous liedro Strauss, Caracas, Venezuela Application apra 5, i940, serial Nol 328,121

f lwill reproduce the sounds on the strip, said sounds being carried to the mouth of the doll.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings vand specically pointed out in the appended claims. t

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or correspending parts throughout the several views, and in which: l

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a doll having vthe invention therein.

Figure 2 is a partial edge view of the invention.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on the line dof Figure 2.

Figure 5 is av section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a section on the line B-'G of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 'i`-'l of Figure 1.

In these drawings the numeral l indicates a supporting frame which lhas journaled therein the upper and lower shafts 2 for the tooth wheels 3, the teeth of which engage the usual perforations il in a sound strip 5 which is of endless Y form and which passes over the upper and lower wheels. A reproducing mechanism is supported at the upper end of the plate and includes the cylindrical part B carrying the diaphragm 'l to which the needle carrying member B is connected with the needle adapted to engage the sound track 5 on the strip 5. An arm 9 extends from the lower part ofthe cylinder 1 and a bolt or screw ID is carried by the arm for engaging a bracket 4Il on the plate I with a spring l2 on the screw between the parts 9 and Il so that this spring tends to move the cylinder 1 in a direction to cause the needle to engage the sound the doll.

A shaft i5 is supported by the lower part of the plate l and a hollow pulley il is arranged on the shaft and contains a spring i8 which has one end connected with the pulleyas shown at i9 and the other end to the shaft as shown at 2t so that the' pulley forms a spring motor. A ratchet wheel 2l is loosely arranged on the shaft i6 and is engaged by a spring pressed dog 22 pivoted to the pulley ll and a gear 23 is fastened `to the'ratchet wheel, as shown at 2li, and this gear 23 meshes with a gear 25 fastened to the lower wheel 3. A guide pulley 25 is carried by the upper shaft 2 and a cable or belt 2l has one end fastened to the pulley ll and passes upwardlyI and over the pulley 26 with its other end con- .nected to a carriage 29 slidably arranged on a track member 29 suitably supported from the plate i and of I shape in cross section with its upper end of T-shape as shown at 39. This track member curves forwardly at its lower end or toward the gear and pulley assembly and has a T-shaped lower end as shown at 3l, these parts 99V/ and 3i forming upper and lower stops for limiting movement of the carriage. A second vertically arranged track member 32 is supported by means of the upper and lower brackets 33 from the plate l and this member 32 is also of I- shape in cross sectionan'd a carriage 34 is slidably arranged on said track member 32.

Each carriage includes a pair of cross members.

35, one on each side of the track member and connected together by the bolts 36 with anti-friction means 3l between the members 35 and the channels of the track members. l

A weight 38 in the form of an arm extends forwardly from the carriage 34 and a hinge arm. 39 is carried by the carriage 28, the hinge ill) which connects the arm 39 with the carriage being a spring one and tending to hold the arm 39 in a horizontal position and permitting it to bel swung upwardly. Engagement of the inner e end of the arm 39 with the carriage prevents the arm from being moved downwardly beyond the horizontal position.

As shown 1n Figure 1 the spring in the motor will tend to hold the carriage 28 and the arml 39 in the upper position with the carriage engagingv the upper stop 30 of the track member 29'. By

action of gravity theweight 38 will engage the arm 39 so that the carriage 28 is carried downwardly with-the carriage 34. This will exert a pull upon' the cable or belt 21 so that the spring drum or pulley is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction with the dog 22 ratcheting over the ratchet wheel 2| so that the wheel 2| and the wheel "'23 remain idle and this lmovement of the spring drum winds the spring |8. As the two carriages move downwardly and the carriage 28 reaches the curved lower part of the track 29`it will move forwardly as it moves downwardly and nally the arm 39 will pass from. under the weight 38 so that the carriage 28 will'move upwardly as the spring starts to unwind and therefore exerts a pull ony the cable 2l in an opposite direction. Of course, thel carriage 34 remains in lowered position and as the spring unwinds it will rotate the drum in an opposite direction so that the dog 22 will engage the ratchet wheel 2| to cause rotary movement of the ratchet wheel which is communicated to the gear 23 and thus to the gear 25 which causes movement of the lower Iwheel 3 and thus the strip 5 is caused to move and thus the reproducing means will come into action and cause sounds from the sound strip to be projected through the mouth of the toy.

When the toy is inverted or partly so .to cause the carriage 34 and the weight 38 to move to operative position on the track 32 the weight 38 striking the arm 39 will simply swing the arm 39 on the hinge until the weight moves to a posiy tion which will be above the arm 39 when the toy is moved back to vertical position.

'I'hus it will be seen that it is simply necessary to partly or wholly invert the toy to cause the Weight to wind up the spring motor and then to place the .toy in upright position so that the spring motor will cause the sound strip to move and thus the sounds will be reproduced through the mouth of the toy.

Preferably the strip is recorded in such a way that it will have several different recordings of words, phrases or music, each one separated from the other by a blank track, these blank tracks to cover the differences in speed after releaseand stop of the carriage 28 and therefore reproducing a more or less constant Speech for the period4 in which the sound trackwith words or music' is in contact with the sound box needle'.

'It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent. Y Y

flt is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

.Having described the invention, what is claimed as` new is:

1. A toy having a head lwith an opening forming the mouth thereof, a reproducing mechanism in the toy and including an amplifier opening out throughthe said mouth, a member having a sound track thereon with which the needle of the reproducing device engages and means for moving the sound track member, said means including a spring motor and a weight member for winding the spring of the motor, said weight member being moved to operative position by tilting the toy and then returning the toy to upright position to cause gravity to move` the weight member.

2. A device of the class described comprising a body, a supporting member therein, a pair of rolls, an endless member having sound tracks thereon supported by said rolls, a reproducing mechanism including a needle engaging the sound track, an amplier connected with the reproducing device, a spring motor for operating one of the rollers, a weight member slidably arranged in the body, means actuated by downward movement of the weight member for winding the spring of the motor and a guide for the weight member.

l3. In a device of the class described, a doll, a supporting member therein, a reproducing device on .the supporting member including an amplifyv ing device leading to the mouth of the doll, a pair of vrollers on the supporting member, a sound track strip passing over said rollers, a spring motor, ratchet means for causing the motor to move one of the rollers to impart movement to the sound strip, a vertically arranged track on the supporting member, a carriage slidably arranged on the track, a cable connecting the carriage to a part of the motor to wind the spring of the motor whenV the'carriage moves downwardly, a second vertically arranged track member in the doll, a second carriage on said second track member, a weight carried by the second carriage, an arm on the rst carriage engaged "by the weight for moving the rst-carriage downwardly under the action of gravity acting on the second carriage, said arm of the iirst carriage being hinged to the carriage to swing upwardly and means for causing the first carriage to move away from the second carriage when the rst carriage nears the downward limit Vof its movement.

PEDRO STRAUSS. 

